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Even if ALF is for sale, could we really afford him?
Even if ALF is for sale, could we really afford him?
Saturday, 11th May 2013 18:58

An anticipated move for Reading's Adam Le Fondre seems unlikely as Reading boss Nigel Adkins has announced the club aren't under any pressure to sell despite their relegation and news that GFH are again looking for further investors.

Inevitably we would get linked with Reading players once Brian McDermott took office at Elland Road, in recent weeks the whispering has reached fever pitch that striker Adam Le Fondre would enjoy a reunion in the north with the manager who signed him from Rotherham for just £350,000.

Even conveniently forgetting that Stockport born Le Fondre is a self-confessed admirer of a certain Eric Cantona and a certain club from the Trafford district failed to whet the appetite of Leeds fans who well remember his two-goal salvo against us on Good Friday last year having come off the bench. Indeed Le Fondre showed against Fulham last weekend he is something of a super sub by scoring to take his tally to a remarkable 13 which is pretty impressive seeing as he has spent most of the season on the Reading bench!

However it appears that any decision to let him leave Berkshire rests with Nigel Adkins, who has insisted that the Royals won't be forced into a fire-sale ahead of their Championship return.

Even if Adkin's made the mistake of selling a proven Championship goalscorer to a rival club in that division, a fair amount of money would have to change hands to prise him away? Put it this way, if Messers Becchio and Morison are valued in the £3m region then how much for a player who has scored 13 times?

The reality is, as things stand, the price tag would put off Leeds current owners GFH capital. Although their latest set of financial figures are showing a small profit, they admit they are seeking to bring further new investors to the Elland Road boardroom.

Although a rumoured 51% sale to Norman Stubbs, the Clipper Logistics tycoon, Yorkshireman and lifelong Leeds fan appears to have stalled, GFH have sold 10% to another Islamic financial institution since completing their takeover last December. The YEP today reported that Stubbs wanted a majority stake in the club for £12m but this deal appears to be dead in the water.

So unless GFH manage to woo a deep-pocketed organisation/individual to LS11, what Salem Patel has referred to a problematic cash flow situation will hinder Brian McDermott's manouveres in the transfer-market this summer.

After all, despite an encouraging 11,000 fans renewing their season-tickets, this money is being used to pay off a debt taken out by former chairman Ken Bates to refurbish the East Stand.

Despite Bates formally ending his tenure as Chairman at the end of June, it looks like we will still endure his legacy of minimal investment on team building for the forseeable future.

Photo: Action Images



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